A majority of New Yorkers want to see Mayor Eric Adams resign following an indictment on federal bribery charges.
While 69 percent of New Yorkers say the Democrat should step down, according to a new Marist New York City Poll, that number is even higher among members of his own party. A staggering 71 percent of Democrats say he should resign, and 81 percent of NYC residents believe he should not run for public office again.
What’s more, 63 percent say Gov. Kathy Hochul should force him to step down if he doesn’t go willingly, which doesn’t look likely as the mayor has vowed to fight the charges.
The "devastating" poll, as Politico described it, further found that 65 percent of city residents, including 68 percent of Democrats, believe Adams engaged in illegal behavior, while 24 percent said what he did was unethical but not illegal, and 8 percent view him as completely innocent.
Only 26 percent of residents said they approve of his job performance, down from 37 percent last November, while 74 percent disapprove of the job he's doing.
Prosecutors have alleged Adams, who is the first sitting New York City mayor to be criminally indicted, accepted improper gifts from Turkish officials and businesspeople — including $123,000 in free or heavily discounted hotels and flights — dating back to his time as the Brooklyn borough president a decade ago.
In exchange for the apparent freebies, Adams coughed up favors — including pressuring city officials to push through speedy approvals for the Turkish Consulate in Manhattan, the court papers charge.
He also fraudulently obtained $10 million in matching public campaign funds via straw donors from foreign sources, the feds allege. (New York Post)
"It’s hard to imagine how Mayor Adams could be faring any worse in the court of public opinion," Dr. Lee Miringoff, Director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, said in a statement. "Not only do New York City residents think he has done something illegal, but they think he should resign or have Governor Hochul start the process of removing him from office."
The survey, which has a margin of error of +/- 3.6 percentage points, was conducted September 30 and October 1, 2024, among NYC adults.